Pilot Error: Baffled Indeed
by Random Guise
Summary: Leonard Nimoy appeared in a movie pilot in 1973 called "Baffled!" that was never picked up as a series, but in order to cover the most ground quickly at the beginning events and dialogue were somewhat rushed; this added inner monologue of his racer/psychic character Tom Kovack will slow things down a little. I don't own these characters or ESP powers. Part of my Pilot Error series.


**A/N: Another look at an early scene in the 1973 movie "Baffled!", a failed pilot starring Leonard Nimoy.**

* * *

Baffled Indeed

_(An inner dialogue for the character Tom Kovack near the beginning of the movie)_

Michelle Brent hurried to interview USAC driver Tom Kovack in his apartment while he mixed a martini, explaining she wanted to know everything about him but only had fourteen minutes before she had to rush off for a dinner appointment.

"I do know something about the occult. I've studied for five years with Ramgit Singh and Willie Smith for two" she said.

"Of course" Tom responded. _Who the hell ARE those people? They could be psychic teachers or just the guys behind the butcher counter down the street for all I know. If you're going to throw names at me at least give me a person I know - Andretti, Foyt or somebody famous. And how are you going to learn everything about me in fourteen minutes? I blame it all on that TV show I was just interviewed on; I didn't think that people would track me down because of it._

"So it will be more than helpful if you would draw a picture for me" she said as she bent over to dig out a sketch pad from her bag.

"Draw a picture?" Tom asked. _Maybe I could draw a sketch of a crazy woman who is obsessed with a one-time illusion I saw and made the unfortunate choice to mention in a TV interview. I really should have stuck to talking about driving._

"Mm hmm."

"Oh." _Too bad you're attractive AND crazy, although I have to say I particularly like the accent. _"All right. Why not draw a picture? You want a Porsche or a Ferrari?" _Do you even know the difference?_

"The manor house you saw, would you draw it from memory please?" she asked, handing him the pad and a pencil.

"My art teacher said I showed great promise - as a mechanic." _Guess he wasn't too impressed with my stick-figure people._

Michelle gave a sympathetic chuckle at the joke.

"You're serious?" _Why not, she seemed very serious about everything else. Maybe she should have had that martini._

"Very" she insisted.

"Okay" Tom agreed, sitting down in his comfortable leather chair. _If you insist. Now let me concentrate on that fleeting image._

"I earn my living selling rare books," she said as she leaned over him to look at the first few shapes "in the course of which I've gained a great deal of knowledge on witchcraft and the occult."

_Does any of the knowledge include leaving a person enough time to think? I need to buy some time to work on this._ "You know, I know this great Armenian restaurant on East 54th Street..."

"Concentrate, please" she prompted.

_Okay, then let me work on this - I haven't tried to draw in years. _Tom gave up and resumed drawing.

Michelle sat on the matching sofa. "You think I'm silly..."

_Maybe. Better not say anything out loud, though._

"...or maybe dangerous."

_Hardly._

"Well I'm neither. And I have none of the powers which I'm convinced you have" she said as a means of encouraging him.

_I think your power may be in talking; certainly in distracting someone. Maybe if I lay it on the line she'll stop. _"It may come as an unpleasant shock to you Michelle, but I'm not afraid of black cats, Friday the 13th, or walking under ladders." _Let's see how she reacts with this:_ "As a matter of fact, every once in a while, I get my kicks walking under a ladder." Tom gave his best crazy smile.

"It's not strange at all, considering who you are. Now, go on, you were doing beautifully."

_How could you tell, you can't see anything from over there. I get it; it's okay for you to talk and interrupt, but if I stop my pencil to talk you get anxious. Okay, keep working and tune her out._

"Evil forces do exist..."

_Tune it out. Concentrate on the image._

Michelle moved beside Tom and continued to talk, but he let the unfamiliar names go in one ear and out the other while he nodded and continued to sketch. She paused in her talking and grabbed an edge of the sketch to look at it. "That is absolutely fantastic!"

_So you're going to tell me I have talent and try to sell me an art correspondence course? Do you want me to draw a Rolls Royce out front? Maybe some stick figures having tea on the lawn?_

Michelle then grabbed a book out of her bag and compared the sketch to the picture of the Wyndham manor in Devon.

_It could just as well be the Chrysler building for as well as I draw. Guess I should pay attention._

She went on about his gift, what a good man he was, and that he needed to help fight evil by meeting her despite his assurances it was just a result of his wreck in the race. She insisted that he should meet her in England to save the life of the woman in his vision. He declined and escorted her out of the apartment.

_What baffled me_, he thought, _was why I agreed to talk to her in the first place. I can't imagine any reason why I'd try to meet up with her when I'm in Europe. But now that she's gone, I can relax. It's going to be a warm night._

The End

* * *

**A/N: When this movie was broadcast I remember thinking "Wow, Leonard Nimoy AND race cars? Gotta watch that!" Of course it turned out to be more of a mystery/paranormal movie and the racing was obviously fake (who gets out of their car during a pit stop to casually talk to their crew chief?) but it's amazing how fast they crammed in the backstory in the first twelve minutes. Maybe a little too fast; when my inner monologue is taken out you see just how fast the conversation went.**

**Still, as a couple I kinda liked them.**


End file.
